Sorry, no ultra fanboys allowed in this thread. For people that actually see URC for what they are in this instance, carry on.

Then I should have said in my post that URC needs to get their head out of the Koreans ass SOMEHOW and become a stand alone company so they have use the real power they have in their hands. Everything we need is there if they could just make it all work the way we want it too.

That said, in THIS instance, Im right. lol. WHO CARES! I would rather they focus on making TC as robust as it can be. Dash OS proves its power. URC just has their hands tied because of the overseas relationship which could be the detriment to their stunted growth.

Does that make me a member of the Kool Kids club now? :)

Dash dash dash. You are like a broken record. Dash isn't URC, and the entire discussion is about CCP, not TC. And I created because I have had people ask for software. I have had people try to get me to price match Amazon at the END of projects after an approved proposal was signed off on. Fact is thanks to URC, some of these people think that I am screwing them. I do not get this with any other lines I carry

Actually could happen. Dealer buys a product under a business name and writes it off as a business expense. Sells it on ebay from a personal account.

Business takes loss, individual gets sale revenue tax free.

Remember, keep your business poor, your own wallet fat.

Russound now "locks" their products. They only way to unlock them is to be an authorized Russound dealer. When an end user buys a Russound unit online and calls Russound to unlock it Russound simply tells the end user to go back to their dealer and have it unlocked, knowing that the dealer isn't authorized can't unlock it. If the end user can't get it done Russound recommends that they return it and buy from a local authorized dealer.

Again, does Russound tell the client the dealer can give them the software?

Lets be clear here....C4 is very lenient with quiet dealers. only the really bad ones with no sales get cut off. I have had to rat out a dealer that was selling at cost and his systems never worked. when i called the rep he said the dealer was on the chopping block due to so many systems being taken over and complaints from end users.

They want to just see consistency, and with the amount of partner products and now triad your sales shouldnt be hard to hit. But if your a decent dealer you will be fine and taken care of.

It's right in the contract that states they can reassign your client. I will not sign a form that says that a client I bring to them can be taken from me.

all that is is to allow me as a good dealer to take over a job if the dealer sucks or went out of business. That is considered reassigning. its to protect the dealer from a piss poor dealer that has to much money to go after someone. If an end user calls in and bitches about the dealer or system "never working" C4 will either try and fix the programming while on the phone with the client or reach out to piss poor dealer a few times to remedy the issues. if dealer doesn't want, cant fix or client refuses to let him back into the house TS agent will refer them to the local rep, the local rep will reach out to a dealer he trusts to take over the account.

C4 DOES NOT just pick and choose that X client is no longer a candidate for Y dealer.

When I talked with C4, at a national show, they didn't impress me as caring a fig about me. It's a BIG PICTURE company. I was not at all surprised when the Extra Vegetables wrinkle popped up.

It's in their contract. They control the software as you mentioned. They can reassign for any reason. No way I would sign that, ever. C4 should be more concerned with working with a bad dealer to improve their skills if they are not "worthy". Anyway, this thread is about URCs policy and not C4s.

This thread has so much crazy stuff it is hard to know where to start.

1. The URC policy is the worst, and I mean the worst in the industry. Far far better would be to take a stance as a company and then turn a blind eye if a dealer gives it away. Yes the current policy puts a refusal clearly on us.

2. Yes the C4 policy is to take your customers but only if you truly suck, which is looking out for ALL of the rest of us.

3. You have to really suck over a long period of time to have this action taken against you. Any decent CI who is worried about this, don't. If they are going to open you and you can sell and install they are not about to close you.

It's in the contract they make you sign. No thanks.

1. All theissues here are easily fixed

a) Software either make policy iron clad (no consumer access) or password protect the project. Only Dealer code (or manufacture code in the case of a takeover from former dealer) can unlock the project. If the cunsumer gets ahold of the software and wants to program from scratch, go for it. The program technically belongs to the manufactureer and the project is the code of the dealer (his training and work).

b) Internet sales- first I like what Russound has done with the need of a dealer code to unlock the unit, but SR# tracking would also easily deter...

c) Dealer levels vs Direct vs distribution vs DIY versions of Dealer based projects-
This is more telling of a companie's direction than anything...

Solutions?
A/B; they DON'T WANT TO. That's right. That way they can't be held to any leagal standard or in the case of product tracking, oversite.
Back in the 90's Alpine (car audio) was fined millions by the FTC when their repair center was audited and they found % of goods on the bench were Gray goods and should not even be in the US let alone repaired, so they were fined the =% of sales based on non-coompliance with gray goods disposal.
They tracked SR#s....
Now if there is "no way to track..." then they can't be held to the oversite.

C? well, there are too many fingers in the pie, thus many ways for the manufacturer to fluctuate (manipulate) their market as needed. Between production, importing (if made overseas or by a parent company), marketing, Reps, training, and finally dealers... it's easy for them to control...if they want to.

I'm currnetly a small URC dealer, and have gone through the rounds of changes. They seem more schitzo than most, with going from editors that you could cross import SOME projects, to CCP, TC (kind of), to Gen2 for small projects and distribution, to all in in TC with distribution, to direct only for TC, but let disto have MXPro...... whats next??? what about my TC customers now, if I'm moved to MXPro? How do I service my last three generations (product) of customers when all these changes have taken place in less that 2 years?......

I have been in this game since '89 and there used to be some stability in who you partnered with...now, not so much.

That might work if you're stealing from a company you work for, but do it to yourself and you won't be doing it long....